Documentaries

Yesterday I wrote about a Game Show Paradise thread with an odd comment on game show rigging in the 1980s (which almost certainly didn't happen).

The actual subject of the thread was game show documentaries. This led to the somewhat fictional Quiz Show, and that led to the rigging discussion. Anyway, my personal pair of favorite documentaries on our little genre happen to be available on YouTube.

The first is the E True Hollywood Story episode about Family Feud. While no doubt overwrought at times, the episode is a delicious detailing of the adventures and misadventures of Feud's first three hosts: Richard Dawson, Ray Combs (see screenshot) and Louie Anderson. We get to hear all sorts of dirt and dish on the show, not to mention Louie's famous prediction that Feud would meet an early demise after his dismissal (wrong!)

The only problem with the 2002 show is that it stops short. What would they have made of the subsequent years with Richard Karn, John O'Hurley and, above all, Steve Harvey? Steve's tenure would have given them some pretty good material, I think.

A related documentary is GSN's Behind the Blank about the 1973-82 Match Game. Richard Dawson cuts a major figure in this show, too...as the bad guy. GSN portrays him as the ultimate prima donna who got to be unbearable to everybody else on Match Game. "Sexy as a snail" is how Brett Somers dismisses him.

This may be a bit unfair, but there's no doubt that Richard was visibly bored with Match Game in his last few years on the show. So far Alec Baldwin is still looking interested in the latest MG version on ABC. He gets paid well enough, no doubt.

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